


On Diffusion (And Personal Growth)

by Flamingbluepanda



Series: On the (Not So) Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known [4]
Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Bonding, Families of Choice, Fluff, Gen, Sibling Bonding, The Inherant Evil of White Alabama Men, discussions of racism, implied racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26472457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flamingbluepanda/pseuds/Flamingbluepanda
Summary: Joe and Nile relate on a touchy subject in an Alabama Grocery Store
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: On the (Not So) Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877365
Comments: 12
Kudos: 290





	On Diffusion (And Personal Growth)

**Author's Note:**

> I am.... very cautiously posting this fic? Thanks to Eli and Nik for beta and sensitivity reading this one. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I'm white. I did my research but it is highly probable I made a mistake. Let me know and I can fix it. 
> 
> Anyway, dedicated to my Aunt Joy, who I swore I would dedicate my next story to. I don't think this is what she had in mind.

“Y’know,” Nile began as they walked through the supermarket on Eid, “it is a  _ little  _ hypocritical that you convinced Nicky to give up the Lent fast while you fast for Ramadan.” 

Joe snorted, leaning on his cart as he pushed it through the small Alabama grocery store. “Nicky, by his own admission, used to fast for Lent, because he felt he had to suffer for God’s glory. I fast because it connects me to my family and my past. Besides, Nicky is Catholic the other eleven months of the year; April is his month off."

“Giving up Catholicism for Ramadan, for  _ shame,”  _ Nile teased, and Joe laughed. 

It was Nile’s first Eid as an immortal and only a few months before her one year anniversary. Nicky was at their little AirBnB, determined to spend all day in the kitchen making a typical feast. He’d sent Nile out for food, and Joe had insisted on tagging along, claiming that Nile needed to learn how to pick proper vegetables. 

Nile wasn’t sure quite how many fresh vegetables they’d find in a shitty supermarket like this one, but she also figured Joe wasn’t coming just for the vegetables. 

Considering the number of Confederate flags they drove past, she was almost sure of it. 

Andy promised they were leaving first thing tomorrow, and when Nile had said she was going out, Andy had actually looked  _ frightened  _ until Joe said he was going too. 

Nile was… probably not as afraid as she should’ve been. She was riding high off almost a full year of life as an immortal, surrounded by a loving family. It was her first time back in America; what could these people do to her that was worse than jumping out a window or getting blown up? 

“Now, these,” Joe said, drawing her out of her thoughts and holding up a bundle of tomatoes, “these are the best of the lot. You can tell by the firmness if you squeeze them.”

“Yeah, I’ll leave the obvious sexual innuendos to you, buddy,” Nile said, and Joe laughed loudly, smirking at her and giving them a deliberate squeeze before settling them in the cart. “I mean, if you’d like I could tell you about Nicolo’s face when I-“

_ “No,”  _ Nile said, making an X with her arms. “Absolutely not. Halt, back it up; do not pass go, and do not collect two hundred dollars.” 

Joe laughed again, heading for the deli. “We should play Monopoly sometime. You can see how my beloved is a filthy, evil,  _ horrid  _ slumlord.”

“If we ever play Monopoly, someone  _ will  _ die. Possibly me, but more likely one of you. I take my railroads very seriously.” 

Joe laughed - and bumped into a fat white guy who was walking past them. “Oh, sorry-“

And then, he spat some words at them. Words Nile decided didn’t bear repeating. Nile’s good mood dropped into the pit of her stomach and died, and suddenly, she wished she had her headphones or at least a  _ hoodie- _

And Joe smiled. “And you have a good day too, sir!  _ Eid Murbarak!” _

And then he bustled Nile away before the shock wore off. 

They finished their grocery shopping in five minutes and got back to the car without exchanging another word between them. It wasn’t until Joe was driving home (and taking a longer route, with more turns. He kept glancing in the mirror as if making sure he wasn’t being followed,) that Nile finally said, “Do you always do that?”

“What? Wish people a happy Eid?” 

“Kill ‘em with kindness.” 

“Well, it’s either that or kill them with a sword-“

_ “Joe.” _

Joe sighed and glanced at her. “What do you want me to say, Nile? That I wanted to hurt him? I did. In those two seconds between him saying that and my response, I thought often- no, twelve different ways to kill him with just what was around me. People never change. There’s always going to be men like him.”

“That’s the most depressing thing you’ve ever said to me,” Nile said, leaning against the window. Nile had come to expect that Joe was the optimist, so hearing him talk like that was… somewhat of a mind fuck.

Joe laughed bitterly. “Yes, well. Every time I think things change, I turn on the news and see a mosque blow up. Or I go to an airport and get accused of terrorism. It’s exhausting, being hopeful all the time, I haven’t eaten all day, and I want a hug from Nicky.” 

Nile snorted. “Thank God, he didn’t come. He  _ would’ve  _ killed that guy.”

This time, Joe’s laugh was a little brighter. “Yeah, probably.”

The laughter died out, and Nile was alone with her thoughts; suddenly, she couldn’t bear that. “Who killed who first?”

“Hm?”

“Between you and Nicky. Who was first?”

“Ah.” Joe nodded. “I got Nicky across the stomach; he stabbed me through the chest. Took us both a full day to come back from those.” 

“I’ll never understand how you say that so casually.” Nile rolled her eyes. “‘Oh, yes, I disemboweled the love of my life the day we met. He stabbed me, and then we kissed-’“

“Mm. You’re missing the many, many years of anger between those two things.” Joe shook his head, checking his mirrors again. “I wasn’t - we weren’t  _ nice  _ people, Nile. Nicky was a Catholic invader, and I decided that if it was savagery his people were expecting, then I would become the most deadly of them all. We killed a lot of people, the two of us.” 

“You figured it out eventually,” Nile insisted, feeling oddly defensive of the people she’d claimed as her brothers. Joe smiled tenderly.

“Yeah, we did. And I’m  _ so  _ much better for it.”

“How’d you forgive him? For invading, I mean.”

“I killed him,” Joe said bluntly, “and then we made sure both of us grew, learned, and recognized why his actions were wrong. If he messes up, I call him out on it, and he would do the same for me.” 

He finally looked at her, eyes soft. “It’s nice to have someone else who understands. Nicky tries but-”

“He’s white, so he’ll never exactly get it.” Nile nodded. “I had friends in the Marines who were the same way.” 

“Right.” Joe chuckled as he turned up the driveway. Andy and Nicky immediately came out to help with the groceries, and suddenly…

Nile threw herself out of the truck, needing a hug from Nicky. Nicky made a surprised noise, and Joe chuckled.

“Everything okay?” Andy asked, and Nile nodded, letting Nicky go so Joe could kiss him. “Yeah, everything’s good.”

“Good.” Andy grinned. “There’s a feast waiting inside. C’mon, let’s unload.”

Joe and Nicky kept holding onto one another, just as they always had.

That night, stories were told, laughs were shared, smiles exchanged, and although it wasn’t enough to keep today’s incident completely out of Nile’s mind, she remained hopeful about her future and reminded that she had Joe on her side now. 

**Author's Note:**

> Again; I did my best, but if I missed anything PLEASE let me know.
> 
> Next Time in The On'Verse: Joe has Trauma! also Nile celebrates one year with her family! Yay!
> 
> My tumblr is www.flamingbluepanda.tumblr.com, I love you all!


End file.
